---
title: "Data Feed: Global remittance flows, inequality in big cities, coal use and mortality"
description: "A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers."
date: "2014-02-20"
authors:
  - name: "George Gao"
    job_title: "Former "
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/george-gao/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2014/02/20/data-feed-global-remittance-flows-inequality-in-big-cities-coal-use-and-mortality/"
---

# Data Feed: Global remittance flows, inequality in big cities, coal use and mortality

*A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.*

**Politics **[Americans view China mostly unfavorably](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167498/americans-view-china-mostly-unfavorably.aspx); [North Korea least favorable](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167489/north-korea-least-favorable-among-nations.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=All%20Gallup%20Headlines), Gallup [In Ohio, Clinton sweeps 2016 field; Obama approval improves to 40%](http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-and-centers/polling-institute/ohio/release-detail?ReleaseID=2010), Quinnipiac [Marylanders loyal to health law despite website’s problems](http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/poll-most-marylanders-back-health-reform-want-to-stick-with-their-states-online-exchange/2014/02/19/3f72bab2-9962-11e3-b931-0204122c514b_story.html), The Washington Post [How likely are Democrats to lose the Senate?](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2014/02/20/computing_democrats_risk_of_losing_the_senate_121640.html) Real Clear Politics

**Economy** [CPI up 0.1% in January as household energy costs rise](http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics [Real average hourly earnings rise 0.1% in January](http://www.bls.gov/news.release/realer.nr0.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics [Housing starts in January down 2% year over year](http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/press_releases_media_advisories/2014/HUDNo.14-014), HUD [Inequality in big cities exceeds the national average](http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/02/cities-unequal-berube), Brookings** **[Another take on inequality: affluent elite, squeezed middle, entrenched poor](http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2014/02/19-affluent-squeezed-entrenched-poverty-reeves), Brookings** **[‘War on Poverty’ a failure?](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/02/19/the-best-case-that-the-war-on-poverty-has-failed/?wpisrc=nl_wnkpm) The Washington Post [Who's the richest man in all the world, over all of history?](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/02/19/who-was-the-richest-man-in-all-of-history/?wpisrc=nl_wnkpm) The Washington Post

**Health & Society** [North Dakota now tops in ‘well-being,’ West Virginia still last](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167435/north-dakota-well-being-west-virginia-still-last.aspx), Gallup [In FY2009, states spent 31.6% of Medicaid money on 4.3% of beneficiaries](http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-176), GAO [Does health insurance improve health? Evidence from Massachusetts](http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterubel/2014/02/20/does-health-insurance-improve-health-evidence-from-massachusetts/), Forbes [Chinese now second most common non-English language in U.S.](http://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/045/), Census Bureau [Decline in use of coal for winter heating saved lives](http://www.nber.org/papers/w19881), NBER

**International **[Interactive: Remittance flows worldwide in 2012](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2014/02/20/remittance-map/), Pew Research Center [In U.S., polarization turns off voters; in U.K., moderation does](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/02/20/in-america-polarization-is-a-problem-in-britain-it-could-be-a-solution/), The Monkey Cage** **[How Africa’s longest-lasting leaders have served their lands](http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2014/02/daily-chart-12), The Economist [Japan's estimated population, ](http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.htm)[127.18 million, down 0.2% year over year](http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/jinsui/tsuki/index.htm), Statistics Bureau [Economic and financial issues still biggest problems facing Australians](http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/5432-most-important-problem-facing-australia-world-february-2014-201402190534), Roy Morgan[ ](http://www.markiteconomics.com/Public/Page.mvc/PressReleases)

*Got new data to share? Send it to us via email *[*facttank@pewresearch.org*](mailto:facttank@pewresearch.org)* or Tweet us *[*@FactTank*](http://www.twitter.com/facttank)*.*